Innocent Eyes
by sara-cupcaked
Summary: The first time Grissom and Sara met. Way before Las Vegas, even before San Francisco. GSR! Please R&R.
1. Chapter 1

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My second _major _story, it's my interpretation of the first time Grissom and Sara met. I hope you guys enjoy this one :)

BTW, thanks GER for proof-reading this.

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**Chapter I **

"Hey Sara! Did you see the notice board? There's a talk going on in Austin Hall in half an hour. It's going to be on criminal justice, thought you'll be interested." A dark-haired guy said excitedly to a young brunette lady.

That young lady smiled, with a small gap between her front teeth. "Yeah, I'll be there. I'll see you there," she said, turning around, dark wavy hair flying as she made her way down the hall towards her dorm.

Sara Sidle was one of Harvard Law School's youngest students for her year. She was 17 when she was accepted, while most of her peers were 20 and older. She had always wanted to study law, to be a district attorney to be exact. This was her second year at Harvard, and she loved every second of it, the challenges and coursework.

She arrived at her dorm, and decided she didn't have enough time for a shower. She grabbed a pen and a notebook from her desk and stuffed it in her bag. The speaker was supposed to be very good, and she was pretty excited. She exited, with a smile on her face.

Austin Hall was far from her dorm, and when she had arrived, there were only a couple of seats at the back left. She sunk into one and looked around. She noticed a few familiar faces here and there, but the speaker was nowhere to be seen, so she started to doodle in her notebook.

A few more minutes passed, and a hush fell unto the hall. 'He must be here now," she thought to herself and looked up. A guy in his mid-thirties was standing by the podium, his dark wavy hair cut short. What Sara noticed immediately were his eyes. They were the kind of blue eyes that she had always desired. All she got was a glimpse before she had to avert her eyes, those blue eyes were starting to travel down the back row, and she didn't want to be caught staring. She stared down hard at her notebook, feeling a warm blush creep up her cheeks.

Gil Grissom always scanned the room before starting his speeches; it had never failed to calm him down. He was arranging his papers, and he spotted rows and rows of preppy girls in flashy clothes. His eyes glazed over them quickly; they all looked like cookie-cutter girls he'd seen in countless Ivy League universities. His eyes travelled to the back row, and that was when he stopped looking any further.

There was a girl with auburn, shoulder length hair with perfectly pale skin; visible from the podium he was standing on. She had her head bent; she appeared to be reading from her notebook. He could imagine the colour of her eyes: a deep, velvety brown. But then he stopped himself. 'She's in her twenties, for goodness sakes Gil,' he thought to himself and cleared his throat, ready to start.

"My name is Gil Grissom, and I am a crime scene investigator with the Las Vegas Police Department. My talk today would be centered on court proceedings, on how we CSIs present evidence to the court. So, starting with the district attorney…."

Their eyes met, and Sara noticed that his eyes were even bluer than she had imagined. '_Cornflower blue_, that's the shade,' she thought to herself. It had always been her favourite crayon colour, ever since she was six. Grissom however, smiled. Her eyes were the **exact** colour he had imagined it to be, but he couldn't find the words to describe it.

Sara felt her heart flutter slightly, but killed the feeling instantly. 'He's a lecturer, Sara,' she told herself, but she couldn't… she just _couldn't_ stop gazing into his eyes, no matter how hard she tried.


	2. Chapter 2

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Thanks for all the reviews, they really inspire me to update fast :) Thanks again GER for being my beta. Sorry about this chapter being rather short, it doesn't work with too much words. I hope you guys enjoy it though.

Please R&R!

DISCLAIMER: I do not own anything!

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**Chapter II**

That was the best talk Sara had ever sat through. 'Mr. Grissom was such a delight to listen to, and to look at too,' she thought to herself, almost blushing. She was waiting in line to speak with him, she had so many questions.

Grissom found it hard to concentrate; her brown eyes kept burning themselves into his mind. He had stared at it so many times in the last two hours but he couldn't even find the words to describe the colour of her eyes. It wasn't really toffee; it was a shade lighter than that. It wasn't beige, and French beige didn't cover it either. Before he could find the right words -

She had arrived.

"Hi, I'm Sara Sidle. I am studying criminal law here, and I found your talk very informative as I plan to become a district attorney once I graduate," she said clearly and confidently, extending her hand for him to shake.

Grissom smiled, and he took her hand. "I'm very thankful Harvard allowed me to speak, they only take the best." It struck him suddenly. _Dulce de leche_. Her eyes, they were the colour of caramel and milk, sweet milk was what they called it in Spanish.

Sara felt all tingly even after he'd let go of her hand, like a schoolgirl with a huge crush on a senior. "Um, you specialise in the study of insects right? Entomology?" she said, stalling, trying to ask him what she really wanted to know.

'Yes, I'm one of the sixteen in the United States. You seem like a very informed person, and you seem younger than the rest of your peers…" He could smell something wafting around her, something faintly sweet. _Vanilla_.

"I'm turning 18 in two months, I was accepted last fall when I was 17. Government scholarship," she added, smiling at compliment.

"Here's my card if you have any questions on court proceedings or insects. Just give me a call," he handed her a card, and she took it with a small smile.

"Thanks. It was nice meeting you."

And with that, she was gone, her auburn locks dissolving into the distance, save for those delicious eyes, which were seared into his mind's eye with that lingering scent of vanilla. She was even more appealing up close, with her pale ivory skin and her deep, velvety eyes. The fluidity of her speaking lips, that bounce in her hair, all encased in his mind. He longed for them. They were dancing, teasing, tempting him.

Suddenly, he was afraid of what this could probably lead to.


	3. Chapter 3

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I know this is a _very_ short chapter too, but I promise the next one will be longer :) Thanks GER for being my beta.

Please R&R!

DISCLAIMER: I do not own anyone! :D

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**Chapter III**

Sara couldn't eat properly, let alone sit still, she was too dazed. The card Gil Grissom had given to her was burning a hole in her bag, spreading its heat everywhere, begging her to dial its number.

It had been two hours after the talk, and a cold shower couldn't even cool her down. She gave up trying to eat, and reached for her cellphone. She sat on her bed as she dialed the number with slightly quivering fingers, and listened to the monotonous dialing tone.

"Grissom."

She sucked in a breath involuntarily, heart beating faster and faster.

"Hi, this is Sara Sidle, from Harvard?" her calm voice replied, not once betraying the feeling in her heart.

How could he forget?

"Don't you think it's a little fast for extra questions…?" his tone was teasing, and her heart beat that _little_ bit louder.

"I know this small place near the university, can we meet up there? It's called _Voglio Ben_e, they serve the best hot chocolate there. I have so many questions…" she trailed off, finally realising how it sounded.

Grissom breathed out, he had forgotten he had been holding his breath. Was she asking him out? He immediately silenced that thought; he had many students who had asked him out just to talk. He barely felt that bubble of disappointment, he was happy to spend any kind of time with her.

"Sure, but my flight leaves soon. I can spare a couple of hours though, I'll see you there." Grissom put down the phone, realising this wasn't just any student asking him out. This was Sara Sidle, the girl with the Dulce de leche eyes and delicious perfume.

Sara clicked off, this time letting her stomach flutter insanely, smiling slightly.


	4. Chapter 4

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This is the last chapter in Innocent Eyes, I hope you guys enjoy it :) Thanks for all the past reviews, they were all so sweet.

Please R&R!  
BTW, thanks GER for proof-reading this.

DISCLAIMER: I don't own anything

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**Chapter IV**

That little talk she had with Gil Grissom had changed her life forever.

They talked about everything, including his job as a CSI with the Las Vegas PD. The more she thought about being one, the less did she want to become a district attorney. They had talked for hours, till he had to leave right that very minute for his flight. Sara was disappointed, yes, but she had learnt too much to be upset.

Two and a half months after Gil Grissom held that talk at Austin Hall, Sara Sidle withdrew from Harvard Law School.

"Any reasons why?" the dean had asked.

"I'm going to study forensic science somewhere closer to home – in California," she had answered with a wistful smile. She knew exactly which university she would be transferring to: The University of California, Berkeley.

Truth be told, the reason she gave the dean was only one out of the many reasons she had been denying herself to even think about. _**His gorgeous blue eyes** _**–** you're too young. **_You'll be closer to Nevada in California than if you stay here in __Massachusetts, which means closer to him_** **–** you'll be closer to home. _**You might bump into him at one of his many lectures in LA**_ **–** he won't even remember you…

FIVE YEARS LATER

Sara Sidle was now a rookie CSI with the San Francisco Police Department, the country's 10th busiest, after graduating with honours at Berkeley. She had lost contact with Grissom, for a number of different reasons.

"Sara, it's starting," her fellow CSI co-worker Aimee Slader whispered. They were in LA, attending the three-day long 'Forensics Science Conference' where there would be a host of speakers from all around the country.

"Who's speaking now?" Sara whispered back, having not read the notice.

"A Gil Grissom from LVPD, CSI on the lifecycle of a Dione Moneta. A butterfly species, I think."

Sara didn't hear anything else after Aimee had mentioned 'Gil Grissom'. _Her_ Gil Grissom? Before she had any more time to think about it, there he was, a few feet away from her, papers in hand. He looked exactly like how she remembered him in her mind, save for slightly greyer hair. It was as though all the air had been sucked out of the room because she suddenly felt very light-headed.

Grissom scanned the place, doing exactly the same thing he did five years ago in Austin Hall, Harvard Law School. He went from left to right, and that's when he saw _her_. Her buttermilk skin and innocent cocoa eyes. She didn't know how dangerous it was, to be biting her lip like that. She turned her head to the side, causing her toffee-coloured hair to dance around. She looked him right in the eyes, and he felt himself fall.

All those years denying it, it was useless now; she was sitting 8 feet away from him, looking close to perfection. His eyes melted into hers in a symphony of emotions.

The deeper she looked into them, the more and more she felt. It shouldn't be called a Crush; a deluge would have been more appropriate; she was Drowning in it. Her heart muscles felt constricted, as if under enormous pressure. Her vision was soon cloudy and her breathing was irregular. Lost in the blue abyss, Drowning, but her mind had never felt so clear.

He gave her a small smile, and her heart jumped, plunging her deeper. Suddenly, the connection was broken; a man had turned to talk to him. The spell between them had been broken, all the air quickly rushing back into her lungs. She knew that once he turned around again, she would feel it again – _Drowning_.

She couldn't wait till after the talk, who knew in what other ways he could change her life…


End file.
